Congratulations, You Are The Next Top Chef

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Mixed feelings about last night's Top Chef finale. On one hand, the finale is always exciting. On the other, I (honestly) wasn't that attached to any of the three finalists, making it difficult to get too emotionally invested. Sure, I love Carla's come-from-behind presence, get angry at Stefan's attitude, and worry that Hosea doesn't have the chops to win, but in my mind, there was no clear favorite.

The good:

I like consistency. I like that the finale challenge was, "cook us the three-course meal of your life." I wonder if Bravo has trademarked this phrase yet… they should. I like that there is little restriction and that chefs are allowed to cook whatever they'd like, using the best-of-the-best ingredients. I like that they knew they'd have a sous chef, and I like that there was a twist: a fourth-course with a traditional New Orleans ingredients: redfish for Hosea, crab for Carla, and alligator for Stefan.

All of the chefs did a really great job. They really did. I was impressed, and was happy to see the panel of 12 distinguished judges also impressed.

The bad:

This season's sous chefs were arguably less "famous" than last season's, but had more say. What does that say about the cheftestants? Pushovers? Playing the game? Just too nice? The past seasons' contestants seemed to run the show! Although, I also must concede that the Stefan-and-Marcel duo was kind of amazing. I feel like they should have been dressed all in black, like a couple of bad guys.

I found myself talking to the TV as Casey influenced Carla's decision. I'm actually surprised at how boldly suggestive she was, which makes me wonder if she viewed it as some kind of reprieve for her loss.

Super-bummed that Carla was unhappy with her dessert -- especially because of the dessert successes she had this season. It was sad to see her cry -- but in the end, I think she absolutely proved her skill and dedication to everyone. If her goal was to show the world how to cook with heart and soul, she succeeded.

The ugly:

I was SO surprised that Fabio didn't stay loyal to Stefan. Says a lot about his character.

The Stefan-versus-Hosea discord, which almost came to blows last night over some foie gras – Hosea offered to split it with him, Stefan declined, sulking. I'm all for some healthy competition, and it certainly did offer some drama in an otherwise pretty docile season, but it seemed unfounded and kind of mean.

Did anyone else think Stefan just seemed to give up? I think that was absolutely his downfall in New Orleans. He acted almost too good for the show... as if he didn't care whether he won or not, not caring about the title.

*Spoiler Alert*

My favorite thing about last night's airing might be the media frenzy surrounding it. Tons of friends' Twitter posts and Facebook status updates, food blogs, even TV news sites covered the finale. (A special shout-out to my high school band director, whose Facebook status message of, " …is sad for Carla, but happy that Stefan did not win" gave it all away, as I was watching the show slightly behind real-time. My fault for checking, I guess!) I'm also very happy with the outcome. Stefan, while talented (and cooking an incredible alligator soup), didn't impress with his dessert, and after Carla's unfortunate soufflé incident, she was out of the running. Hosea's meal was thoughtfully put-together and focused on his strengths.